When Top Performers Lose Their Edge

What do you do as a leader when your top-performing employees lose their focus and motivation?  If members of your team are not as engaged as they once were, several factors could be impacting their change in performance. I highlighted some of the leadership reasons behind employee disengagement in my article, 8 Ways to Convince Your Top Talent to Leave.

However, it isn’t always a leadership issue.

We recently worked on a project where a team had become divided into two camps. The first camp consisted of a manager who was new to the organization and working with a select group of people to make significant, but necessary, changes to improve the organization and team.

The second group was made up of veteran employees who disagreed with either the implemented changes or the pace of the changes brought on by the new manager and her team. These disgruntled employees were united behind the goal of proving that the new manager and the changes she was making were not in the best interest of the organization. This situation was particularly challenging because all the employees had either brought significant value to the organization in the past, or were still accomplishing significant things in their roles.

In this example, the new leader faced a tricky situation as a new leader responsible for uniting her top talent behind her leadership vision for the team and organization.

So, what do you do when your top performing employees lose their focus? Here are 6 tips to help you re-align an employee and point them back to the top of the mountain.

Gain Buy-In From Your Boss or Senior Leaders

When a long-term employee actively roadblocks changes being implemented by a new leader or isn’t meeting the expectations of the team, share your concerns with your boss. Gain his or her agreement that the employee’s refusal to fully contribute to the team’s success is unacceptable.

As a new manager, holding a long-term employee accountable to specific levels of performance can get complicated. You can almost guarantee the employee will make an end-around to your boss, who may very well have been their former boss. Without agreement and support from him or her, coaching and counseling this disgruntled employee won’t be effective.

Communicate your Concerns Clearly

Sometimes new managers decide that the struggling or disagreeable employee needs space to adjust to the changes being implemented. In reality, the longer you wait, the more difficult the situation will be to correct. An effective line to use in these conversations is, “I need someone in your position who….” And then name the outcome or expectation you have for the employee moving forward.

Provide Clear Goals, Roles and Expectations

Unhappy employees love to get lost in the lack of accountability that’s made possible by a lack of communication.  Over-communicate the goals that need to be accomplished, and be sure to include a timeframe and how the success of the goals will be measured.

Weekly Meetings

Chances are the employee would prefer not to meet and talk to you. Make sure to set up a weekly 15-minute meeting to discuss the week’s accomplishments, as well as what needs to be accomplished during the upcoming week. This meeting is also an opportunity for the employee to share any concerns or questions they have about the tasks that need to be accomplished. Be sure to listen and address his or her concerns. Over-communicating with the employee will ensure there are no negative surprises or misunderstandings in your relationship.

Increase Responsibility

Give the employee a special assignment or project to work on to demonstrate your trust in them. This also recognizes the value they bring to the team. This will work well and demonstrate fairness to the entire team if you ensure the goals, roles and outcomes are perfectly clear.

Provide recognition

In difficult situations, leaders tend to be reluctant to praise a challenging employee. However, providing recognition is critical. Focus on the things the employee does well or right, and provide recognition for the employee’s successes either one-on-one or in a group setting, whichever is more appropriate.  This is both the fair and the right thing to.

All leaders have experienced, or will experience, a challenging employee on their team. When the situation is complicated by the undeniable talent and value the employee contributes, handling the situation effectively can become even more complicated. But remember, it is your responsibility as a leader to unite your team members, even the disgruntled ones, behind a vision that will lead to even more success for your team and organization in the future.